Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called Monday for direct negotiations with Israel, signaling a possible historic shift with its southern neighbor that Beirut classifies as an enemy state.
Aoun said his country “cannot be outside the current path in the region, which is the path of crisis resolution,” in an apparent reference to Friday’s U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Jerusalem and the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.
“Lebanon negotiated in the past with Israel with mediation by the United States and the United Nations,” the former commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces told a gathering of Lebanese business journalists. He added that these talks led to the 2022 maritime demarcation deal.
“What prevents repeating the same thing to find solutions to pending matters, especially since war did not lead to results?” Aoun asked. “Today, the general atmosphere is one of compromise, and it is necessary to negotiate.”
Iran’s Lebanese-based terrorist proxy Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas led a mass invasion of the northwestern Negev, murdering some 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others to Gaza. As of Wednesday afternoon, the remains of 21 hostages remained in the Strip, with pressure mounting on Hamas to expedite their return in accordance with the terms of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Lebanon last November ended the conflict with Hezbollah, with the Israel Defense Forces continuing to strike the terrorist group’s attempts to rebuild its forces in violation of the agreement, and in September, the Lebanese government accepted an army plan to disarm Hezbollah and bring all weapons under state control. Hezbollah has rejected attempts to disarm it.
The IDF devastated Hezbollah’s leadership and terrorist infrastructure during the conflict. Less than two weeks after the ceasefire was announced, the Assad regime in Syria fell to Sunni Islamist rebels. In recent months, Jerusalem and Damascus have been engaging in on-again off-again negotiations on a security arrangement.
“Conditions are moving toward negotiations to achieve peace and stability,” Aoun said. “Therefore, we say that through dialogue and negotiations solutions can be reached.
“We cannot be outside the ongoing track in the region,” he continued.
Trump praised Aoun in his speech at the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem Monday, telling members of the Knesset that “in Lebanon, the dagger of Hezbollah, long aimed at Israel’s throat, has been totally shattered.”
The U.S. leader continued: “My administration is actively supporting the new president of Lebanon and his mission to permanently disarm Hezbollah’s terror brigades. He’s doing very well. And build a thriving state at peace with its neighbors, and you’re very much in favor of that, I know. Good things are happening there, really good things.”
